Plateau Government Winning War Against Substandard Drugs, Says Agency DG

Director General (DG) of the Plateau State Drugs and Medical Commodities Management Agency (PS-DMCMA), Pharm. Kim Jerry Bot, on Thursday, reiterated the agency’s commitment against substandard and fake drugs, saying the State was already winning the war against fake and substandard drugs.

Bot stated this in an interview with LEADERSHIP in his office in Jos, the State capital.

LEADERSHIP recalls that the chairman of the Langtang North Local Government Council, Hon. Pirfa Tyem, had last weekend raised the alarm over the interception of fake drugs in his area.

But, in a swift reaction to the development , Pharm Kim Bot said the state government led by Governor Caleb Mutfwang would continue to fight to end the menace of substandard drugs.

“I am deeply concerned about recent reports regarding the circulation of substandard medications.

“I am aware that NAFDAC has been doing a great job to clean up issues relating to the spread of such drugs. In fact, in the first quarter of this year, Plateau was listed among the states that had reduced the circulation of substandard medications by 63 per cent,” he stated.

According to him, the establishment of PS-DMCMA has made it easier for them to trace and flag medications circulating in the state that are below standard.

“Let me say this clearly, it is completely unfair to the common man and innocent citizens who lack medical knowledge, but we will get to the root of it,” he noted.

He maintained that as an agency, they procure medications directly from manufacturers, ensuring that they provide them with all documents supporting the quality assurance of these drugs upon delivery.

“We also carry out physical assessments on site when drugs arrive at our warehouse. Our warehouse conditions meet global best practices. We maintain proper humidity, temperature, storage infrastructure, and account for factors like gravity and shelf life,” he said.

“Furthermore, we have set up a mini laboratory with a bench for basic analytical tests. Sometimes, we conduct spot checks using chromatographic separation to detect adulteration.”

He added that, “Just recently, we found a substandard antibiotic suspension meant for children. Shockingly, it lacked sufficient active ingredients to meet therapeutic levels and worse, it contained fecal matter.”

The DG pointed out that the development was unacceptable in Plateau State, adding that the agency will not tolerate this as they were determined to step up their game.

Pharm Bot also added that, “Since we scored 63%, we vowed never to drop below that, In fact, our aim is to reach 100 per cent. By the 10th of September this year, this agency will be one year-old since its commissioning by the governor of the State, Barr Caleb Mutfwang. If we’ve achieved 63% in just one year, we believe the only way is upward.”

According to the director-general, the establishment of the agency was anchored on a legal framework signed on October 27, 2022, by former governor, Simon Lalong, stressing that section 4 clearly outlines their responsibility to curb substandard medications and promote local manufacturing.

“Section 4(5) also permits us to engage in public-private partnerships to ensure access to safe, effective, and quality medications for public hospitals in the state.